The Forge of War
by Gear42
Summary: Various oneshots from the point of view of those who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Last:Not all of the Slytherins who doubled back were there to side with Voldemort. Some where there to fight for Hogwarts, for friends and love and hope  and home.
1. The Forge of War

**Title: The Forge of War**

**Rating: Teen**

**Summary: Not all of the Slytherins who doubled back were there to side with He Who Must Not Be Named. Some where there to fight for Hogwarts, for one of the only homes they ever knew. Some where there to fight for freedom and love, and hope and justice.**

**A/N: The portrayal of Slytherins in the books has always disappointed me. They are portrayed as entirely evil. And yes, there are 'exceptions' such as Snape, but it was even _said in the book _that he would have made a good Gryffindor. I feel that I cannot be possible that 25 percent of the wizarding population are cowardly ferrets with no redeeming features (it is possible that they are not sorted evenly, in which case I would expect about 90 percent of them to be in Hufflepuff, and it this never shown in the books). So yeah. Rant over. Tell me how you like this OC, I am rather fond of her (she also has not deigned to give me her actual name. If you have any ideas, tell me, I beg of you). She sort of popped into my head one day and started bludgeoning me with her wand telling me that I had to write her_ right now. _So here you go. You may be seeing more of her. I am definitely going to write about more of the people who fought in the War of Hogwarts, both some of the minor cannon characters and more original characters. If there is anyone you want to see, tell me in a review or a private message. End monstrous authors note.**

**Words: 947**

I doubled back after they sent all the Slytherins to the dungeons with Filch. It was not that hard – all it took was a quick disillusionment spell and dodging behind one of the suits of armor while no one was looking, and to be honest, the disillusionment spell was a bit unnecessary. I mean _Crabbe _and _Goyle _managed it, and they can barely summon a feather. Once the rest of my house disappeared down the hall, I shed my robe and tie (blatantly identifying myself as a Slytherin seemed like a really _bad _idea at the time) and set off back to the Great Hall. On the way, I saw a girls' bathroom and went in. Using the mirror there, I changed a few of my features – darkening my hair almost to black and shrinking my nose. I was _pretty _sure that there would be enough people milling around that no one would notice a lone Slytherin without her tie or robe, but then again, it never hurt to be take a few extra precautions.

I also took the time to pee. I had never been in a battle before (plenty of fights, both with adults and other kids, muggles and wizards) but when I looked at the stalls, I was suddenly struck with the realization of how horrible it would be to be killed because you were distracted by your bladder. Foresight and planning are, after all two traits that are highly valued in the house of cunning.

The great hall was a mess. There were people everywhere, split into small groups with barely any organization whatsoever. This was _exactly _why it was idiotic to get rid of the Slytherins. Yes, some of us were tied to the He Who Must Not Be Named, but if the anti-Voldemort side were any good at what they did, then they would have known which ones were allied with whom. It was not that hard – I had figured it out by my second year. Oh, the other houses had their strengths, I could admit that, and I was sure that many of the people there were good fighters, but Slytherins _specialized _in making plans. If I was not sure that I would get sent back to the dungeons – likely with a few hexes to remember my 'lesson' by and make sure I did not get it into my head to repeat the attempt – I would have stood up and gotten them into some kind of prepared group rather than the absolute mayhem that was their current state. I was pretty close to doing it anyway, despite the danger – they were just so god damn _depressing _running about like baby chicks without a mother to follow – when a man, big, black, imposing, wearing the wearing the distinctive dark purple robes of an auror, walked in at the head of a handful of other people and started getting a handle on the mess. I could have kissed him, but instead I headed to my assigned group, having said that I was a seventh year Hufflepuff. There were no other Hufflepuffs in my cluster to rat me out, and I introduced myself to the rest of my team as Azra Smith.

The preparations for the battle were taxing and stressful, but in hindsight, I can tell you that they were a cakewalk compared to the battle itself. I have heard others say that for them, the memory of a fight is an indistinct blur, but for me, each moment stands out in vivid, three dimensional, technicolor. I wish that it did not. I can remember every scream I heard that night, every bloodied, broken body that I saw, every fallen comrade, every collapsed enemy. I remember everyone I fought with, and everyone I fought against. We started out organized, with each team given a section to defend with a leader and a second in command in case the leader was killed or injured to badly to fight. I approved of the plan when I first heard of it – organization is the first step to winning anything, a contest, a battle, an argument – but as it turned out, it was hopelessly optimistic. The teams were split apart within half an hour of the Death Eaters breaching the defensive boundaries. I did manage to stick with one of the other girls on my team, Cho Chang. I had a vague recollection of her being Diggory's girlfriend, and had felt a pang of pity when she introduced herself. Depressed ex-girlfriend of a tragedy she may have been, but she was good at fighting regardless. I am actually still in touch with her today, we meet up the first Sunday of every month when our lives allow it (and as it has become rather important to both of us, we have become very good at _making _our lives allow for it) in Diagon Alley for a cup of tea, or some shopping or just a chat and a drink at the Leaky Cauldron. Anyway, back on topic. Cho and I fought together, back to back for the entire battle. I am sure that she saved my life several times, and I know that I returned the favor for her.

War is a terrible thing, I know this as well as anyone and better than some (namely those who present it as a glorious affair, full of knights in shining armor and trumpets, and neatly aligned rows of soldiers), but sometimes it takes something as traumatic as battle to bridge boundaries and make allies. Cho was the kind of girl that I would have dismissed out of hand had I met her in another setting, but fighting forms a special kind of bond between people, the kind that will not break, not under any amount of pressure. An unlikely pair, yes, a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin, but I would die for her (although I am ashamed to admit such a Gryffindor-like sentiment, it is the truth) and she would return the service. Cunning and intelligence makes a good team, one the world would do well to watch out for in the future.


	2. Turning Points

**Harry Potter: King's Cross Station, Minor Characters Challenge**

**Date: September 1, 2011**

**Title: Turning Point**

**Summary & Warnings: Kinsley isn't trained for this, but neither is anyone else, so he had better figure it out really quickly.**

**Rating: PG**

**Words: 259**

Kingsley isn't trained for this. The wizarding world has no standing army because it simply is not big enough to _need _one. The Aurors are the closest thing, but they are never trained to command more than ten others. There is no wizarding equivalent of generals or tacticians, and that is what they desperately need now. Massed in front of him are hundreds of witches and wizards, all ready and willing to fight, but with no real organization. His mind racing for something, anything that could help, parts of conversations, flashes of battles, snatches of sound. His thoughts finally settle upon something Dumbledore told him once, attributing the phrase to some muggle: United we stand, divided we fall. Kingsley has always had a talent for seeing the turning point of battles, and it is obvious to him that the strength of their unity will be the deciding cause in this one. It helps that they do not have to win, they just need to give Harry time, but even with these advantages, he can tell it will be a close fight.

Kingsley isn't trained for this, but neither is anyone else. As be begins to call out instructions in his deep, booming voice, he panics, – inwardly, his voice remains as steady and calm as always – if he is wrong, if it is some other factor that will tip the battle in their favor, these people will die. The men and women in front of him begin to form groups, and he prays to anyone, anything, that he was right.


End file.
